THE government is proposing a 150-percent increase in cancer assistance to P3.75 billion in 2027, while targeting a further reduction in the health costs Filipinos pay themselves.
The proposed Cancer Assistance Fund (CAF) allocation under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) is P2.25 billion, or 150 percent, higher than the P1.50 billion provided under the 2026 General Appropriations Act, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Friday, Sept. 4.
The proposed allocation is also P2.50 billion, or 200 percent, higher than the P1.25 billion originally proposed for the program under the 2026 NEP.
If approved, the expanded fund could benefit around 25,000 cancer patients enrolled in 36 designated cancer care access sites in Department of Health-retained and local government unit-operated hospitals nationwide.
The sites, including 23 in Luzon, five in the Visayas and eight in Mindanao, provide assistance for cancer screening, diagnosis, medicines, treatment and continuing care.
The DBM said cancer patients could receive up to P150,000 each in government assistance under the proposed funding, subject to the program’s guidelines.
“This funding will expand access to timely diagnosis and life-saving treatment for patients battling the country’s deadliest cancers, including breast, lung, colorectal and liver cancer,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said in his 2027 Budget Message.
DBM Acting Secretary Kim Robert de Leon said the increase recognizes cancer as both a serious health concern and a major financial burden, particularly for families facing prolonged medication, diagnostic procedures, hospitalization and continuing care.
“This historic increase will enable more Filipinos battling cancer to receive timely screening, early diagnosis, life-saving treatment, essential medicines, and the financial assistance they need without forcing their families into deeper financial hardship,” de Leon said.
Lowering out-of-pocket costs
The proposed increase in cancer assistance comes as health officials recalibrate the government’s broader Universal Health Care (UHC) financing and implementation roadmap toward 2028.
Philippine Health Insurance Corp. Acting President and Chief Executive Officer Beverly Lorraine Ho said Philhealth is now following the Philippine Development Plan target of bringing household out-of-pocket health spending down to 37 percent by 2028.
Out-of-pocket spending accounted for 41.2 percent of total health expenditure in 2025, down from around 55 percent a decade ago.
Ho said health spending would need to reach around P639 billion to meet the 2028 target.
The government, however, faces challenges in translating universal coverage into actual access to healthcare services.
Acting Health Secretary Edwin Mercado said universal PhilHealth eligibility has already been achieved, with all Filipinos entitled to coverage regardless of their contribution status.
The focus now, he said, is on strengthening healthcare delivery, particularly the availability of accredited facilities capable of providing more complex procedures covered by Philhealth.
Mercado cited open-heart surgery, renal transplantation and other treatments under PhilHealth’s Z benefit packages as services that may be covered but are not yet equally available nationwide.
The UHC financing roadmap is also being recalibrated to account for delays in implementation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mercado said around 110 local health systems are progressing in terms of maturity, while the Department of Health is targeting 2028 for local health units or chief executives to establish their own Special Health Funds (SHFs).
These funds are intended to help local governments properly assess and finance the healthcare services needed by their communities.
“By 2028, local health units or local chief executives should have their own SHF and we should have a proper financing analysis of how much is really needed to achieve universal healthcare,” Mercado said. / PNA
